Paging George Orwell–Texas state representative, Jason Villalba, (R-Dallas) wants to speak with you.

Villalba is proposing a bill that would put teachers in charge of seeing and diagnosing mental illness in your child. Everyone knows that teachers are up front and personal with students every day and are perhaps in a better position to see mental deficits but let’s face it: teachers are not mental health professionals. Teachers go to school to learn how to teach, not the intricacies of mental health.

In HB 985 Villalba proposes to have school officials the authority to force psychological screenings of students that teachers and staff diagnose as having mental health issues.

The way the law would work, if passed, is that if a teacher or school official deems a child might have any type of mental illness, they could force the parents to take the child to a mental health professional within 30 days for a mental health screening, all under the threat of suspension if they don’t comply.

While the child is under suspension they would still receive an education, however it would be at an “alternative school.”

There are two sections of this bill that should grab your attention:

The first part explains how the law would work in legislative legalese:

“…the requirement that the parent or guardian, before the expiration of the 30-day period, to avoid suspension of the student under this section, take the student to the nearest local mental health authority or a physician specializing in psychiatry to receive a mental health screening and a certificate of medical examination for mental illness, as described by Section 533.03522(c), Health and Safety Code, that contains the examining physician’s opinion that the student is not a danger to self or others.”

The second part might be more frightening, if you can imagine that:

“(i) A school counselor or a principal who receives noticeunder. Subsection (b) about a student who subsequently is subject toa notice of intent to suspend under Subsection (g) shall:(1) provide the student’s name and address andinformation concerning the conduct or statement that led to thenotice of intent to suspend to:(A) the school district police department, if theschool counselor or principal is employed by a school district andthe district has a police department;(B) the police department of the municipality inwhich the school is located or, if the school is not in amunicipality, the sheriff of the county in which the school islocated; and(C) the local mental health authority nearest theschool;…”

I added the emphasis to that so you would notice that they not only want the child to be diagnosed by the teacher, and validated by a mental health professional; they also want to report it to the police.

Nothing like starting a police record for a misbehaving–and possibly mentally unbalanced–child, right?

About the Author

Oregon PolitiChick Macey France is co-founder of the Stop Common Core in Oregon and is working with parents across the state to educate and help them to learn how to advocate for their children's education. Macey has spoken at many Common Core informational meetings across the state of Oregon.
Macey's articles on Common Core have been picked up by various news outlets and she has been a guest on many radio shows across the nation. Macey's article about The Bluest Eye was featured on a panel on Al Jazeera America and was nominated for a CPAC Blogger Award for Best Sunlight Post of 2013.
Macey is a strong conservative with libertarian leanings, making her more of a "conservatarian." Preserving the constitutional and moral values of that this great nation was founded on for her children is her priority. She is a stay at home mom of two boys who are now in elementary school. As a mom who has always been interested in politics, religion and all of the taboo subjects, she has always had a lot to say about the state of the nation. When she realized the Common Core Standards were not only bad news for children but a government coup over education, she decided to fight back and is now considered one of the nation's leading experts on all-things-Common Core.
When she's not having uncomfortable arguments with strangers on Facebook she can be found spending time with her husband of 15 years and two sons. Find Macey France on Facebook and Twitter: @MaceyFrancePC

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